One Step Forward
by Shakespeare's Muse
Summary: Blaise is in love and convinced she's happy with her relationship. Ginny doesn't even know if she has one. When faced with it can either of them take the next step? DG and BH.


One Step Forward

By Shakespeare's Muse

**Rating:** T

**Pairings:** (female!)BlaisexHarry/DracoxGinny

**Full Summary:** Blaise Zabini is in love with Harry Potter and happy with her relationship, but just around the corner lies something she would never have expected and doesn't know how to prepare for when she is suddenly confronted with it. And it can be certain that this time last year Ginny Weasley would never have imagined herself worrying about her tumultuous quasi-relationship with Draco Malfoy. A story about the unlikely relationships of four twenty-somethings not sure how to take the next step forward. D/G and B/H.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Harry Potter I would be busy writing Book Seven; as I'm not doing that I can be certain that all recognised **HP**characters belong to **J.K Rowling**, who I am not. Any characters you don't recognise and aren't noted as anybody else's belong to **me**. Of course, you'll have difficulty finding any in _this_ fic, but still, what the hell.

**Ahem:** I've slipped in a **sneaky reference** to **Doctor Who **in here (that would be the **new series**, which has ended now :sniff: what will I do until Christmas? I can't survive with nothing to watch on Saturday nights!) and it would be quite fun to see if anyone could find it… ; D

**A/N:** OMG, it feels soooooooo good to be writing again. The exams are over and Ihave _10 weeks_ of holiday to do exactly what I want. Hallelujah, Praise the lord, and everything else that might possibly be worth praising! Iam _freeeeeeee_!

I started this a couple of days ago after deciding I _had_ to write something, anything, before I collapsed in heap of exhausted Muse and spontaneously combusted. I've never written anything remotely **Blaise/Harry** before in my life, but after reading again the brilliant **Wars End** by **Jedi Tess of Gryffindor** I had a sudden urge to write them, and as I'm a devoted **Draco/Ginny** fan I thought I'd do something involving the four of them. This is a one shot, and I know it's really a bit long; I tried to cut it into chapters but just couldn't find the right places to do it, so I left it as one. There is also a decided lack of Ron/Hermione which I'm not so happy with, but if I'd put them in there would have just been too much going on, so I'm afraid you'll have to do without for now. : (

I hope you all enjoy reading this – I certainly enjoyed writing it!

**Dedicated to:** Jedi Tess, for inspiring this without even knowing it (lol, you go girl!), and my beta **Okeanos**, who is kind enough to give me her honest opinion about _everything_ (including the reasons why I am mad to fancy Anakin Skywalker, John Rzeznik and Raoul from Phantom of the Opera (stage version, not the movie) :drool:).

* * *

Blaise Zabini looked for all the world like she was about to be thrown under the wheels of a bus.

"Oh, I don't know what to do! I haven't seen him for ages; do you honestly think he'll be there?" she asked, wringing her hands anxiously.

"Yes, yes, yes, for the umpteenth time, yes!" Ginny Weasley assured her, although her tone was less comforting and rather more exasperated now that she'd answered the same question so many times. She shook her head and smiled to herself,

"I just…" Blaise sighed and trailed off. Her stomach felt as though it had been taken over by a thousand butterflies fluttering their soft wings around her insides, and she couldn't seem to stop fiddling with the hem of her v-neck top. It was highly unusual for her to act this way, but the prospect of seeing Harry again after so many months apart had reduced her (at least in the presence of a friend anyway) to her current state.

Ginny smiled again and reached a hand across the compartment, gently tugging Blaise's away from her top and giving it a supportive squeeze. She was glad to see it elicited a smile from Blaise, albeit a tired one.

Both of them were sleepy, having left Hogwarts early that morning to be able to catch the train back to London for some time in the afternoon. After six months working with Dumbledore and the newly overhauled Ministry in regard to the last remnants of Voldemort's army, they were glad to finally be on the way home.

"Thank Gin," she said, letting her hand fall back into her lap, "I guess I'm just overtired; I thought I was managing to cope fine with all this work we've been doing lately, but it must have caught up with me". The smile faded as she looked back out of the window.

"I think you're right," Ginny agreed, pulling her knees up to her chin and settling back into her seat, "We've all been so busy lately it's taken everything out of us." As she said this she had to stifle a yawn, and both young women giggled.

"Oh well, a few hours sleep should cure us before we have to go to this party thingy tonight."

"Oh damn, bugger, bugger, bugger…" Ginny swore, smacking her forehead with the palm of her hand and closing her eyes in horror. "The stupid, stupid party! I completely forgot. Why…" she moaned, "why did we agree to go to a party the night we get back to London?"

"I dunno," Blaise shrugged, "It was your idea – "It'll be fun", you said; "It'll be just what we need", you said."

"Oh shut up." Ginny retorted, pulling her face down with her hands so that she vaguely resembled a bloodhound dog. "I didn't know the _exact_ date! Well okay I probably did, but that doesn't mean I deserve that look of yours! If I had a pillow I would definitely throw it at you."

"But you don't, so I'm safe." Blaise countered with a small grin. "But you were probably right – a party would be nice after working so hard. Take our minds off things, y'know?"

"Yeah…" Ginny murmured, "Yeah, it would…" She turned her gaze to the window and traced the path of a raindrop across the glass with her finger, her eyes unfocused. Blaise watched her for a moment as she drew her fingertip slowly down the glass, her eyebrows gradually getting closer together as her frown deepened.

"Listen Gin," she said, prodding the other girl with her foot. Ginny jumped slightly, awakening from her thoughts. "Gin, don't worry about what'll happen when we get back to London. I can assure you; he'll have neither sold his flat, severed all contact with our friends, nor taken up with another woman. You might have the slowest moving relationship on the planet, but Draco does care about you."

"I'm glad _you_ think so at least" Ginny answered, her expression brooding. "These days it's not just my brothers who insist it's all a 'phase' or a 'sham' or anything else unsatisfactory; I'm starting to feel that way too. Ugh!" she exclaimed, hiding her face with splayed out fingers, "the last thing I imagined myself doing this time last year was worrying about an on-again off-again relationship with Draco Malfoy. Where did I go wrong?" she asked Blaise weakly.

"Oy," Blaise warned, this time giving Ginny less of a poke than a small kick, "don't start thinking like that! As far as I'm concerned I think this relationship is the best thing that could have happened to both of you. Uh-uh!" she said, holding up a hand as Ginny opened her mouth to speak. "You and Draco are perfect for each other; you're both just too damn stubborn to see it sometimes. And considering that I love and know the both of _you_ better than anyone, you're _not_ in a position to argue with me."

"Humph" was the only reply Blaise got. She settled back in her seat and cast her shrewd gaze over Ginny, who was still huddled frowning by the window.

"You know I'm right…" she muttered with a sly grin, causing Ginny to jump from her seat and leap on Blaise, giving her a playful slap. A small mock-fight followed, before a truce was called and they both flopped down next to each other, laughing.

"_Ladies and Gentlemen, we are just approaching Kings Cross. Could you please retrieve your luggage from the overhead racks and make sure you have all your belongings when you leave the train. Thank you"_ the driver's voiced boomed over the tannoy, echoing up and down the train. They could hear the sound of the group in the next compartment gathering their luggage and starting up the loud chatting they'd given up on half an hour ago.

"Couldn't we have just asked Dumbledore to let us come down next week, instead of having to listen to them drone on about their last bout of glandular fever?" Ginny muttered as she reluctantly got up, stretching with a stifled yawn before reaching up to get her bags from the overhead rack. "Then we wouldn't have had to board the train at half past bloody five this morning. Blaise?"

Getting no reply she looked over to see Blaise once again looking worriedly out of the window, this time gnawing at the loose threads on the end of her sleeve. Getting her last bag down from the rack, Ginny stepped over and sat down next to her, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"_Don't _worry," she said, "He'll be there. He's the love of your life and you both know it. Why would he miss this?"

"Yeah, I guess…"

"Hey," Ginny said, her tone stern, "_He'll be there_! Trust me."

Blaise nodded, as much to reaffirm it to herself as to Ginny. "Yes. Yes you're right. I hope. _Hey!_"

Ginny shrugged nonchalantly as Blaise looked at her with reproach, holding a protective hand over her upper arm.

"If you don't give me an excuse there'll be no need for me to knock some sense into you next time, will there?"

* * *

"How long do you think it'll be until the train gets here?" Harry Potter asked, fiddling absently with his tie as he stared down the platform looking for signs of the train.

"Potter, I think the more appropriate question is how many times do I have to tell you before I throw you under the wheels of a bus?" Draco Malfoy replied. They stood on Platform 9 ¾, waiting for the Hogwarts Express to arrive. At four fifty, it wasn't due to arrive for another ten minutes, and Draco was getting rather tired of hearing Harry ask when it was arriving every five minutes. "Do you have any idea how much you sound like an impetuous five-year-old?"

"Don't I usually leave that up to you?"

Draco whistled, impressed with the retort. "Getting better with those insults Potter, definitely getting better. Not as good as me though."

"Shut up Malfoy, and please say something useful," Harry replied, rocking backwards on his heels as he sighed at length. "Such as an answer to my ever-important question?"

Draco scowled. "Must I?"

"Yes."

"Fine. It should be here in about…"

There was a pause.

"Yes?" Harry said, making a gesture at Draco to continue. It was his turn to scowl when Draco pushed up his sleeve, tutted mockingly and waggled his watch-free wrist in Harry's face.

"Sorry Potter, it seems I've forgotten my watch. I guess you'll just have to suffer for the next ten minutes."

He caught his mistake almost immediately, and once again the scowls swapped faces, Draco's scrunching into a glower and Harry's breaking into a grin.

"Brilliant Malfoy, you're generosity is limitless" he teased, grinning. Draco just stuffed his hands in his pockets and nudged at a stone with his shoe.

"You still have to wait ten minutes though."

Harry's grin froze and then faded. "Oh God, yeah. Oh crap, I didn't think of that."

"Ha. Serves you right" Draco replied, "Mocking me like that." He clutched a hand to his heart and swept the other over his brow in the manner of a distressed damsel. "My heart bleeds!"

"Shut up Malfoy" Harry retorted. "I don't care."

"Ooo, you really know how to break a guy's heart don't you?"

Harry gave Draco a withering glare. "The implications of that remark are entirely disgusting Malfoy."

Draco grinned. "And don't I just know it?"

"Anyway," Harry said swiftly, veering away from Draco's frankly alarming rhetoric. "Do you know if you're going to the boss' party tonight or what?"

"I'm not sure," Draco replied, "It's not exactly going to be the party of the century is it?"

Harry shook his head. "Still, it'll be a chance to see everyone again; most of the order should be there at any rate."

"Oh joy!" Draco said acerbically, clapping his hands girlishly. "You know they all still hate me, don't you Potter? Or have their evil glances and muttered insults escaped your notice?"

"Don't be so dramatic Malfoy" Harry chided, "These days it's only a bit of mild dislike."

"Yeah, because the weasel brothers threatening to dissect me for the sake of medical science every five minutes is mild dislike."

Harry just rolled his eyes, shaking his head in a mixture of exasperation and amusement. "You do bait them endlessly Malfoy. Besides, they're sickened at the though of you going off with their innocent baby sister."

"Innocent. Ha!" Draco snorted. "The probability of Ginny Weasley being innocent is about the same as the probability of Vincent Crabbe joining MENSA." Draco eyes lit up suddenly with a sparkle. "I remember once when—"

"Yes, well" Harry cut in, not especially eager to hear the rest of _that_ story. "You might as well come anyway. There'll be alcohol…" he added, giving Draco a nudge.

"Don't think you can tempt me with drink Potter, I am impervious to its influence" Draco told him. There was a pause, then, "What kind of drink?"

"Butterbeer, wine…punch."

"Oh, why didn't you tell me?" Draco said, sarcasm dripping from his words. "You know I can't _resist_ punch!"

"Is it impossible for you to ever _not_ be sarcastic Malfoy?" Harry asked, but there was no time for him to get a reply before a voice boomed out over the tannoy.

"_The five-thirty Hogwarts Express service from Hogsmeade station will be arriving at Platform 9¾ in approximately three minutes time_," the voice informed them, "_The service terminates here and will not be running again until September 1st._"

"Oh God," Harry said as the voice disappeared and a flurry of activity began around them as the other people on the platform rose from their seats, waiting for the train's arrival. He began to chew nervously at his thumbnail, his eyes focused on the place the train would be appearing any minute. "God, I'm so nervous."

"Stop worrying Potter" Draco told him, giving him a brief pat on the back, "The worst that can happen is for Blaise to take one look at you, say "Urgh, yuck!" and flounce off."

Harry briefly thought about punching him in the nose, but decided against it; if Blaise got off the train to find Malfoy lying bloody-nosed on the floor she probably _would_ do just what Draco had said. Instead he settled for a simple glower and a soft punch on his less vulnerable arm instead.

"Resort to violence if you must," Draco said with a slight air of superiority, absently rubbing the spot on his arm where Harry had punched him. "But I will let you know now that this type of behaviour is completely below me." He reached out and gave Harry a quick cuff around the head. "Except in cases of extreme provocation, of course."

"Yeah, whatever Malfoy" Harry retorted, but he couldn't help chuckling.

"Anyway," Draco said, turning serious. "I'm off. I've got to get back to work or Maguire will kill me. Literally."

"But Draco, the train's about to arrive…"

"Exactly."

Harry stared at him in confusion for a moment, before eliciting a soft "Oh" and nodding. He watched as Draco picked up the briefcase that sat on the platform beside him, trying to decide whether to speak or not. He chose the former.

"Look Draco, are you sure you're not going to hang around? I know Ginny would be pleased to see you."

Draco paused for a moment, his eyes looking down the platform to find the train that could now be seen slowly wending its way towards them. There was silence between them for a moment as Draco seemed to sigh almost unconsciously, but then he drew his eyes away from the train and looked back at Harry, a wry, lop-sided smile on his face.

"I've got to go Potter. I'll see you later, alright?"

Harry nodded and raised his hand in a little wave, which Draco returned before turning and disappearing behind a rather large, pink-faced family who gave a Harry a polite smile as his gaze ran over them. He returned it briefly before the sound of the train getting closer to it's destination distracted him, and he turned to see it's bright red face drawing closer and closer at a slower and slower pace, before finally passing him.

His eyes searched anxiously as the train slowed and finally stopped, and the handful of people on the platform inched a little closer as the doors began to swing open and people emerged, almost immediately engulfed by their families as they stepped from the train. His eyes barely registered the pink-faced family greeting an equally large and pink-faced young woman about three feet away from him, despite their loud squealing and cries of "My, Aggie, haven't you lost weight?".

All he could do was search for that face, that familiar oval face and waterfall of black hair that he'd been without for almost six months now—

"Harry!"

He turned to see her standing near the end of the train, the luggage she had dropped barely having hit the ground before she was running towards him. His own legs were pushing him forwards before he'd even though about it, and they met somewhere in the middle, their arms encircling each other and their lips meeting in a kiss that made the pain of six months separation melt in a matter of seconds.

After a few moments they broke apart, and Harry took Blaise's face in his hands, running his thumbs along her cheekbones to wipe away the tears that had fallen there.

"I though you'd be happy to see me" he joked, his voice barely above a whisper. Her violet eyes lit up with a smile through the tears, and she leant her head into his shoulder, inhaling appreciatively the faint smell of his aftershave and the washing powder he used.

"I don't think I could be any happier" she murmured into his shoulder. She ran her hands over his back, trying to lock the memory of the way his Quidditch-toned muscles felt under the soft material of his silly black suit in her memory.

She laughed softly into his shoulder at the thought of the smart Armani suit that was obviously still going musty in his wardrobe. What was it he'd said to her when she'd bought it? _"It's very nice,"_ he'd said entirely unconvincing as he'd shuffled uncomfortably into the living room of his small flat. _"I just don't know if it's really, well…me."_ Then she'd told him she thought he looked damn sexy in it, and no words had been spoken after that.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I thought you might like to know these bags aren't going anywhere soon by themselves!"

Blaise looked up to see Ginny standing by the train door, hand on hip and a large grin on her face as she stood by Blaise's abandoned bags. In an almost sleepy manner, her and Harry broke apart, their hands unconsciously finding each other as they turned and walked up the platform towards Ginny.

"I just thought it might be a nice idea for you to retain most of your worldly belongings before they get nicked," Ginny told Blaise when they reached her, Ginny unceremoniously dumping the bag she had slung over her shoulder at Blaise's feet. "Seeing as most of it consists of underwear."

"Oy," Blaise said, but her reprimand was half-hearted and what little venom lay behind it was juxtaposed by her beaming smile.

"Good to see you Gin," Harry greeted her, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek.

"Likewise," she greeted, giving him a quick hug (not an entirely easy task with a Zabini fused to his side) and grinning at the two of them.

"What?" Harry asked, but the shy smile lighting up his face told Ginny he already knew the answer. Both Blaise and Harry blushed slightly under Ginny's gaze, looking at each other shyly and inching closer (if that was physically possible).

"You two give me hope, you really do," she sighed, shaking her head with a wry smile. She picked up her bags and nudged Blaise's largest one towards her with her foot. "Shall we go?"

Blaise and Harry nodded, and they headed for the barrier. As they talked, Harry gave Blaise's hand a gentle squeeze and a smile, and the thousands of butterflies started their fluttering even stronger than before.

* * *

"Is Harry picking you up here tonight then?" Ginny asked as she sat at her little dressing table, doing her make-up. She held up two eyeshadows to the light, trying to decide which shade of purple she should go for, before settling on the lighter of the two.

"Since it turns out we're going to the same party we thought it would be a good idea," Blaise informed her from where she lay on Ginny's bed, staring up at the ceiling moonily. She'd been completely giddy ever since she'd seen Harry, a characteristic only he could bring out in the usually controlled and self-assured Blaise Zabini. Harry was the only subject that ever caused any deviation from this version of Blaise; consequently, neurotic-Blaise and giddy-Blaise had been blamed entirely on him. "He'll be here at seven."

"Which is in exactly two hours and…twelve minutes," Ginny pointed out, turning in her chair to look at Blaise, "And as you're currently wearing nothing but a dressing gown and a towel around your head, I'd probably start getting ready if I were you."

Blaise was nearly out of the bedroom before Ginny had finished speaking. She listened to the sound of Blaise darting around her room for a moment, cursing and – by the sound of things – throwing stuff around, before she dashed back down the hallway and poked her head around the door.

"It's over there" Ginny told her, pointing to where Blaise's battered hairbrush had been abandoned on Ginny's duvet. With a quick thank-you nod, Blaise sprinted over, grabbed it and ran back to her room.

"Zabinis" Ginny muttered to herself with a giggle, turning back to her dressing table. Now they had a frantic-panicking-Blaise to blame on Harry as well.

As a result of her industrialistic approach to getting ready, Blaise had sat down on Ginny's bed once again at six-thirty, and had been watching her friend get dressed for last twenty minutes.

"Well as long as she doesn't drink as much as last time she should be able to avoid any table dancing this time around" Ginny giggled, pulling her curls up into a loose pony tail and examining her reflection in the mirror. "What d'you think?"

Blaise tilted her head to the side. "I think it looks good." She walked over to the dressing table and picked up a butterfly hair clip, holding it out to Ginny. "Put it up with this."

She did so, using a hand mirror to see it's reflection in her larger dressing table mirror. She smiled at the result, fluffing her curls slightly before nodding her approval. "You, Miss Zabini, have good taste."

"Mmm, I know" she teased. She pulled lightly at Ginny's pearlescent lavender robes. "I got you to buy these didn't I?"

"My Zabini, not very modest are you?"

"Unspeakably modest actually, I'll have you know."

"Hmm…" Ginny said with a doubtful expression.

"Anyway," Blaise said, "How are you getting there? Are you sure you don't want me and Harry to apparate with you?"

"It's nice of you to offer," Ginny thanked her, "But I know you two have been dying to be alone ever since we arrived back. I don't want to intrude on you any longer than I have to. I could see the looks you were sending each other this afternoon," she added, turning and pointing her comb at Blaise, "You were both desperate to jump into bed, I could tell. It was only the fact that I was there and you really did have to unpack that stopped you."

"Hey…" Blaise reproved her half-heartedly, smiling again that shy loved-up smile, "You make it sound so… coarse"

"You make of it what you will my friend. Besides, it was really only the unpacking that stopped you – I've never been much of a deterrent before."

Blaise pointed to herself and then at Ginny before making swift cutting motions in mid-air, one eyebrow raised. Ginny just made a face; after five years of friendship she was used to this kind of threat by now.

"You remind me of Draco sometimes," she said, turning back to the careful selection of her jewellery.

"Not surprising really, seeing as we're both Slytherins. Incidentally…" Blaise said, her tone careful; she was unsure whether it was a good idea to bring this subject up.

She hesitated for a moment, deliberating silently with herself, before deciding to go ahead. Ginny had seemingly been fine this afternoon – Blaise had secretly consulted Harry when Ginny had gone to get their post from the flat next door and he had said she looked all right. Blaise had concurred at the time, but she'd seen the moments when Ginny had thought no one was watching; a frown would appear and she'd look through whatever she was gazing at, lost in thought.

_It's best to ask at any rate,_ Blaise told herself, _that way she can at least know I'm willing to listen._

"Gin, Harry told me Draco's going to be at the party."

The pause that followed this statement was fractional, but it was just enough for Blaise to notice. "Really?" Ginny replied. She stood and busied herself with the bag that hung on the back of her chair, her ponytail falling over her shoulder and obscuring her face from Blaise. "That's nice."

"Ginny I know you're worried," Blaise said, taking the plunge. Ginny stilled over her bag. "I know you were upset when he didn't come to meet you at the station, and I've seen your face fall every time you've thought about it since."

There was a pause for a moment as Ginny straightened, absently toying with the handle of her bag, and she was just about to open her mouth to say something when a chorus of "Heathcliffe, it's me a kathyyyyyy!" echoed down the hallway as someone rang the doorbell.

"For God's sake we _need_ to change that bloody doorbell!" Blaise cried as she rushed down the hall, pausing for a moment to check her reflection in the hallway mirror, before another chorus of "Heathcliffffffe!" kicked her into action and she opened the door.

Harry stood on the other side, and his eyes practically popped out of their sockets when he took in the vision before him.

"W…wow…" he stammered, his hands absently pulling his tie a little straighter as his unconscious mind told him to smarten up a bit if he wanted to impress such an amazing creature. Dressed in silk robes the colour of blood, her black hair left to flow freely over one shoulder, she was unconsciously biting her lip in a manner that made Harry all hot under the collar.

"C'mere," he said with a grin, sliding his arm around her waist and nuzzling into her neck. "You look amazing."

"You don't look so bad yourself," she replied. "Cliché I know, but true."

"What do you say we, uh, skip the party?" Harry said, trailing several kisses up her neck. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I don't think I'll be able to keep my hands off you."

Blaise's eyes fluttered closed and she instinctively tilted her head back, her fingers tangled in the soft hair at the nape of Harry's neck. "Mmm, I don't think so…" she murmured, "We said we make an appearance. Besides," she said, detaching herself, "I call the shots." She pointed a willowy finger at him. "No sex till I say so."

Harry looked at her with those cute puppy-dog eyes that always shook her resolve, and she was tempted for a moment, but then she heard Ginny in the kitchen and remembered that she'd promised to go.

"I'll make it worth your while…" she said, raising an eyebrow suggestively. Harry grinned, kissing her softly on the lips.

"Anything you say love."

Blaise grinned. She loved utilizing her sexuality.

_

* * *

_

_Why?_ Ginny was asking herself an hour and a half later. _Why did I come to this party? I must have been on mind-altering drugs to agree to this_.

Not that it was a bad party of course. It was just that Ginny had spent most of it hanging around near the buffet table, nibbling at a cocktail sausage on a stick.

She sighed for what felt like the millionth time as she surveyed the other guests, mingling happily with champagne glasses and paper plates bearing mini quiches clutched in their hands. She'd tried to circulate a little when she'd come in, looking to see who had arrived that she knew well enough to have a conversation with, but so far Harry's promise that there would be other members of the Order there hadn't been fulfilled. Not that he and Blaise had been around long enough to notice; they'd disappeared off to the roof in barely half an hour, mumbling something about "the view" before racing off up the stairs. No matter than she'd practically had to push Blaise up them herself – she was feeling abandoned and she'd damn well wallow in self-pity even if it killed her.

_Not that I've got anything else to do anyway_, she thought, savagely throwing the stick from her sausage in the bin, bored of chewing it and frankly quite afraid that she'd end up with splinters in her lips. She briefly surveyed the buffet once more, trying to decide what food would be the most likely to make her feel less abandoned, and was just about to home in on the miniature vol-au-vonts when the noise of impending guests near the entrance caught her attention.

Turning to look, she almost gasped in dismay when she saw the blond head bobbing about near the door. Draco was standing with Terrence Boot and Kingsley Shacklebolt, waiting patiently whilst Kingsley said something to the doorman and letting his blue gaze flicker around the room.

Ginny could feel her fight or flight reaction bubbling to the surface at the same time as the urge to go up to him and start snogging him madly assaulted her. She stood there for a moment, panicking wildly as her mind flitted between the three options. The urge to snog him she could rule out immediately, although she had to wrestle with it silently for a moment (she could feel her lips beginning to pucker up at the thought). That just left fight or flight. She flustered for a second as his gaze travelled nearer, and finally settled on flight just as his eyes flicked over her.

She cursed silently as she slunk along the wall behind a shield of guests towards the ladies, hoping he hadn't seen her.

_He probably didn't notice me anyway_, she thought, slightly surprised at the bitter tone in her voice. Although perhaps she shouldn't have been, she reflected, thinking of the last time they'd seen each other and how loved (if faintly unsure) she'd felt.

"_I'll be seeing you soon then?"_

"_Yeah, if you call six months soon."_

"_Wow Gin, that was a biting comment. Most unlike you."_

"_Sorry. I guess I'm just going to miss you."_

"_Really?"_

"_Maybe. A little bit."_

"_Good. Then we'll both feel the same, won't we?"_

She locked the cubicle door and sat down on the toilet, leaning her elbows on her knees and supporting her chin with her hands, moping as she listened to the muffled sounds of the party coming through the wall.

In all her twenty years she'd never had any luck with men. First there'd been that brief (_Yeah, right_) stint when she'd idolized Harry; then, when she'd _finally_ given up on him, she'd started dating…what was his name? Oh yes, Michael. It had been fun at first, but then he'd turned out to be an immature git and he'd just had to go. Dean had lasted a few weeks, maybe a month or so, but the amusement of seeing Ron's face turn red whenever she went out to meet him had worn off and besides, they just weren't suited. Ginny knew she couldn't have gone out with a sweeter guy, but for some reason sweet just didn't do it for her, and they'd parted amicably. After him there'd been a string of short flings that she could hardly even remember, and then at 17 she had convinced herself it was love.

Jack Barrowman had been everything her other boyfriends hadn't. He'd failed half of his OWLs, left Hogwarts halfway through his NEWTs and proceeded to bum around for four years working in Harlequin's, which Hermione had labelled the wizarding equivalent of Sainsbury's – not that Ginny had ever figured out what was wrong with working in a supermarket. Two years older than her, Jack had seemed to Ginny like an unattainable trophy, gorgeous and shiny (well okay, maybe not that shiny), and so she'd been content to just let him wander through her mind every so often when she had nothing to do. She'd never been the sort to follow a guy around or start trying to catch his attention, so she'd limited herself to small bouts of wishful thinking that in the end had turned out to be not so wishful.

Looking back on it, it was probably her indifference that had drawn Jack's attention. Nearly a month after they'd been introduced, he'd caught her on her own in the kitchen when she was visiting the friend whose brother they'd met through. The glass of water Ginny had been pouring had sat untouched on the work surface until her friend had come looking for her, and they'd sprung apart, both flushed red with embarrassment. She'd fallen in love with him quicker than she could say Never-Say-Never, and it had been the start of a ten month relationship that had just about killed her.

Blaise had obligingly offered Ginny her shoulder when she'd needed to cry on it, and Ginny suspected it was probably this that had brought them so close. She'd sat patiently through the hours Ginny had spent alternately sobbing into the contents of a Kleenex box and then wrathfully cursing Jack and the girl she'd neatly labelled as a "Boyfriend-Stealing-Bitch-Of-A-Whore", and had steered her through the course of emotions the self-help book had labelled as Denial, Self-Recrimination, Anger and Resolution with a guiding hand. She had never complained once.

Ginny sniffed forlornly, tearing a small piece of toilet paper off and rolling it around between her thumb and forefinger. That had been three years ago, and since she'd found him and another girl in a position he couldn't possibly explain away, she was proud to say she'd been free of him. Why he should appear in her mind now she didn't care to say.

She was taken from her thoughts by the sound of the door opening and someone's shoes moving across the off-white tiled floor. Turning, she quickly flushed the toilet to make it sound as though she wasn't some loser skulking about in the loos, smoothed down the front of her dress and was just about to open the door when the sound of the flush died away and she heard someone saying her name.

"Yeah, and then she nearly fell off the end of the staircase when it moved," Blaise told Harry as they sat leaning against the large air conditioning unit that dominated the building's small roof. "And after that she just went around going _Mon dieu! I have been nearly spoiled!_ for days in the most broken English I've ever heard. I mean, I think _spoiled_ was supposed to mean killed."

Harry laughed as she said this, his eyes on her face as he stroked her hair. They'd been sitting up here watching the sun set for what seemed like an unaccountable amount of time, just chatting and having a kiss and a cuddle every so often. One of the things he felt he loved about Blaise the most, or rather their relationship, was that it wasn't just a physical _affaire_ (as Hermione might have put it) with a bit of the emotional thrown in – it was a fairly equal mixture of the two. He couldn't deny that being with Blaise was the most wonderful experience in the world (or at least he thought so), but everything about them was so much more than that.

"Seriously," Blaise went on, "Expert in Corporal Charms and Enchantments? I don't think so. She could hardly bear to set foot inside Flitwick's classroom." She wrinkled her nose with distaste at the memory. "_It'z so ugly! Zee curtains are all covered in dust_!" she mimicked, imitating a graceful French accent. She followed this with a snort of disgust, shaking her head. "We were supposed to be there to work, not mince around like bloody drama queens. Death Eater factions aren't just going to disappear by themselves you know. Well," she said, mulling over the issue for a moment, "Unless they all start killing each other, which would be quite useful."

"But unlikely," Harry said with a suppressed chuckle. Blaise slapped him lightly on the arm and gave him a reproachful look.

"Well it would be," she persisted, "Then they'd have done all the work for us. You never know, if they're stupid enough and are arguing enough amongst themselves…well, what do I need to say?"

Harry nodded, deciding it was better to agree with Blaise than incur her all-encompassing wrath. He was just glad she didn't have PMT.

"You don't _really_ agree with me…" she muttered, pressing a light kiss to his temple and then snuggling into his side. The rain that had battered her train on the way through Northern England had stayed northwards, and down in London the sun had shone brightly all afternoon. Now, sitting on the roof of the wizarding hotel the party was being held at, they could see everything for miles as the last of the fading sunlight gave the scene a peaceful pink tint, and the breeze that playfully tugged at her robes only served to cool the evening's heat.

Thinking of the train ride made Blaise think of Ginny, and she felt a flash of guilt as she thought of her friend on her own downstairs. But she had asked Ginny if she minded them whisking themselves away and she'd said not at all. In fact she'd had to give Blaise a firm but gentle push in the direction of the stairs and order Harry to take her away before she'd let herself go. God, that girl was good to her.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked Harry, fiddling with a button on his shirt. There was a brief pause as she felt, rather than saw, Harry's head turn down towards her. He nudged her gently with his shoulder.

"What d'you think?" he murmured, "You of course. Light of my life, star in my sky, all that. Why?"

"Just wondering," Blaise shrugged, moving from the button to the lapel of his dinner jacket. She smiled. "I like to know what's going on in your head from time to time."

"Only so you can work out the best way to hold sway over me."

"I only have to mention sex and you're like a slave. I don't need to know your thoughts about that because I know them all already."

Harry's only reply was to go "Humph" and poke her around the middle, making her squirm a little. They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the last of the sunshine as its light slowly began to seep from the sky and leave it a dusky pink; it felt nice to be so comfortable in each other's presence and to be able to enjoy the silence for all its worth.

Harry graciously ruined the moment by trying to stand and finding that his legs had gone to sleep, the result being that he managed to fall over much less graciously and take Blaise with him.

"Well done" she said sweetly as they lay on the hard concrete of the roof, Harry half on top of her and his head on her stomach. She could feel the vibrations of his laughter shiver through her.

"Stop that, it tickles!" she giggled, peering at him. Her revelation only spurred him on, and he began to tickle her pitilessly, ignoring her cries for mercy in between peals of helpless laughter as she wriggled in his grasp, her hands trying and failing to push his own away. He laughed as she slowly pushed herself across the floor in her attempts to escape, and for a moment he forgot about tickling her as he looked at her face, bathed in pink dusky sunlight and laughing powerlessly, unable to stop. He stilled, his gaze riveted to the features he knew so well; no longer feeling his merciless clasp, Blaise also stilled, looking up at him.

It felt for a moment as though time had stopped and now this minute would stretch on forever as their gazes locked. Blaise smiled peacefully at him, the fingers of one hand twisting into his hair as he leant up on his elbow, looking back her.

Harry felt as if everything in his whole life had lead him up to this moment, to this time when he would feel an indescribable feeling deep somewhere in his chest as he gazed at the woman he knew he loved more completely than he had ever loved anyone. The words were out of his mouth before he even had to think about them.

"Marry me."

* * *

"Gin?" 

Ginny felt as though all she'd been hit over the head as the sound of Draco's voice sounded in the sizeable bathroom. She stood completely static as she heard him walking towards her side of the room, hardly daring to breathe and hoping he'd think she was just someone else, unwilling to come out of her cubicle when there was man standing in the ladies.

"Ginny it's no use hiding; I can see your shoes."

_Bollocks!_ Ginny swore, instinctively stepping back and feeling the backs of her knees collide with the closed toilet seat. She sat down heavily on it, all the air she'd been holding in _whooshing_ out of her with a small involuntary "Ugh".

"You alright?" Draco asked from the other side of the door, his words edged with amusement.

Ginny just made a small, non-committal noise, crossing her arms and scowling at the door, hoping he would have by some miraculous coincidence developed x-ray vision and could now see just how pissed off she was.

"Are you coming out," Draco asked, "or am I going to have to break down the door?"

"I'd be betting on the door if I were you."

"Is there no chance of a peace treaty?"

Ginny scuffed at the floor with her shoe. "No."

She jumped as a delicate white hand appeared over the top of the door, a mini croissant clutched in its grasp. "It's chocolate…"

Ginny looked at the croissant for a moment, weighing the possibilities in her mind. "Only one?" she asked, "They're tiny."

"I'm not giving you any more until you come out."

"Why should I?"

"Why shouldn't you?"

"Don't want to" Ginny retorted, feeling utterly childish. She heaved a noisy sigh; only Draco could put her under so much stress she had to regress to four years old to function normally. "Look," she began again, trying to inject a bit of maturity into the conversation, "I just don't feel like talking to you right now, okay?"

The hand waved the croissant at her, refusing to give up. Ginny didn't say anything, just continued to glower at it, trying to ignore the smell of chocolate now wafting in her direction.

Eventually the hand stopped waving about and fell limp against the door as if it had given up. "Well, if you're sure…" Draco's voice said from the other side of the door, unhurriedly drawing his hand away. "I guess I'll just have to eat them all myself. Mmm…" he said, and Ginny could hear him eating one, "These are excellent. I reckon these have got Honeyduke's chocolate in them actually. I didn't know they made French stuff though—"

She shook her head and let it fall into her hands. "Draco."

"Mm?" he answered, sounding slightly surprised and suspiciously like he was in the middle of munching.

"Draco, if you shut up about the croissant I'll come out, okay? Actually," she said, "If you shut up full stop I will."

There was a pause for a moment, then, "Okay."

Standing, Ginny arranged her dress and unlocked the door, stepping out of the cubicle.

Draco stood by the row of sinks, leaning gracefully against them as he ate the croissants. Ginny's heart felt like it had done a double somersault as soon as she set eyes on him, dressed as he was in a beautifully cut black suit that Ginny suspected was probably Armani or Versace or something equally expensive. It wasn't often she saw him like this, but when she did she had to admit he looked even sexier than he did in a rumpled tee shirt and jeans.

_Stop it_, she warned her traitorous mind, holding her head high and trying to look calm and sophisticated as she slowly walked towards him, y_ou're supposed to pissed at him, remember?_

Though that was hard to do when he watching her with that appreciative look.

"Why are you so eager to talk to me anyway?" she asked, annoyed to find her voice wasn't as steady as she'd thought.

Draco shrugged. "I don't see what's wrong with it" he said nonchalantly.

"I didn't say there was anything wrong with it!" she snapped, "For God's sake, I'm just asking why!"

She took a deep breath to try and calm herself, frustration that she'd already cracked within thirty seconds of conversation sweeping over her. She fully expected him to either laugh or sneer at her (probably both) but she was relieved and a little surprised that the only thing he did was sigh and run a hand through his hair.

"What do you say we get out of here?" he said, holding out a hand to her. Ginny paused for a moment, before nodding tersely and walking over to the door, ignoring his hand.

She looked back over her shoulder as she opened it, waiting for him to follow and letting the door shut when she saw that he was. She stalked quickly down the hallway and back into the party, no longer caring that she was on her own and cutting straight across the room towards the door. She was unsure about whether Draco had managed to follow her as she strode down the magnificent central stairs of the hotel and into the lobby, heading for the coat wrack and waiting as the clerk retrieved it for her, but she was wasn't particularly surprised when she felt the light pressure of a hand on the base of her spine. She knew it was him.

He gave the clerk the ticket for his jacket when he returned with Ginny's, causing the barely post-adolescence boy to roll his eyes and mutter something about "rich gits" under his breath. Ginny silently agreed with him as Draco took a firm hold of her coat so that she couldn't leave without him.

"Where are we going then?" she asked brusquely when they were outside the hotel, standing in the twilight that had been thrown over Chapel Avenue, a wide and clean-looking street that met Diagon Alley at a crossroads not far away from the hotel. She crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one leg, tapping her foot and enjoying the _pat-pat_ sound of her stilettos hitting the paving stones.

"I don't know. I just thought we might walk somewhere." He paused. "We haven't done that for a while."

Ginny slowed the insistent tapping of her shoe as she looked at his face, wondering at his wistful tone. She hadn't seen Draco in so long, and when she did had been fully expecting the same Draco she'd walked away from with a tentative smile when she and Blaise had left for their time at Hogwarts in February; the one who had teased her constantly for as long she had known him, but had now taken to running his hands through her hair and muffling the insults on her lips whilst he did it.

She tugged gently at his sleeve before moving on, falling into step with him as they strolled down the road in no particular direction, a semi-comfortable silence between them. They were effectively alone on the pavement, only a few witches or wizards wandering the streets in the fading evening as the indigo twilight bled into inky blue-black night.

"Hey," Ginny said after a while, stopping outside a pair of gates that led off the Avenue, "Look."

Draco cast his gaze over them, the corners of his mouth pulling up a little as he recognised them, thinking of the times he'd spent in the park that lay beyond.

"I used to come here all the time when I was younger," Ginny told him, stepping closer and peering into the shadows beyond the gateway, "Mum used to take us every last Saturday of the month whilst she went shopping." She laughed as she reached out to touch the wrought iron gates. "I remember once when Fred and George – or was it Charlie? I think it was Charlie – anyway, one of my brothers fell out of a tree and made a massive hole in the roof of the park-keeper's shed. My poor mother came back from her shopping to find my brothers arguing madly with the park-keeper"

"I can imagine."

Ginny smiled. "I doubt it. You have no idea what that park-keeper was like, all old and hairy and really _reeking_ of cabbage actually, now that I think about it. My God," she said, a mildly shocked expression replacing the smile, "I was six when that happened. I can't believe it, that was…that was fourteen years ago!" She looked over at Draco. "Wow."

Draco just stood there for a moment, an amused smile on his face, before walking over to the gates and reaching through the bars to the padlock and bulky chain that sat on the other side. He pulled the padlock round so that it was facing him, proceeded to take out his wand and pointed it through the gate at the lock. Muttering something under his breath, there was a brief flash of blue light before they heard the lock fall open and Draco pulled it through the bars, dropping it into the darkness as he opened the gates.

Ignoring Ginny's shocked face, he pulled her through into the shadows. "Come on."

* * *

Blaise stared numbly at Harry for a moment as his words sunk through the fog that had suddenly settled over her brain. His emerald eyes gazed earnestly at her, his hands reaching out to clasp her own and pull her into a sitting position along with him. 

"Marry me," he said again, his voice stronger this time around now that the words weren't so spontaneous.

Blaise just continued to stare at him, wide-eyed and convinced her ears had deceived her. "Wh…what?" she stammered, feeling instantly guilty as his face fell. "Harry…"

He reached out and hushed her with his fingers over her lips. "Blaise, don't make me take it back, whatever you do," he said, and he sounded as though he was begging for his life, "Look, I'm sorry I said it so out of blue and that I upset you, but I'm not sorry I asked."

"Harry!" Blaise cried, sounding scandalised, "How could I be upset!" She took his hand and briefly pressed his fingers to her lips. "You just shocked me, that's all."

"Oh," he replied, the crestfallen expression now mixed with confusion.

Blaise smiled at the way Harry suddenly reminded her of a lost little boy. She had a sudden mental image of him wandering around on a moor dressed in rags and looking as though he'd misplaced himself, and tried to brush it away, briefly wondering why people always thought of the strangest things during really important occasions. She didn't want to look back on this moment and be reminded of the strange workings of her brain.

"I just mean," she continued, "that I wasn't expecting it. I mean…" she stumbled a bit on her words, searching for the right ones, "To be honest, I never thought you'd ask."

Harry couldn't help but laugh a little at that; it was probably fairly true. Not that the idea of asking hadn't ever crossed his mind, but it had always been just that – an idea. Now it seemed as though he'd spontaneously managed to turn it into a reality.

"Harry…" Blaise began tentatively, lowering her eyes, suddenly shy. She half-knew what it was that was bothering her, but couldn't bring herself to say so when she could hardly tell herself. "I guess I thought that…well…" She faltered slightly, unsure. "I guess I just wasn't sure if you were serious. I mean, this is a very big decision and a huge step for us to take, and then there would be all the things we'd have to arrange, people to tell—"

She broke off, knowing she babbling and hating it. Looking up through her eyelashes at him, she was relieved to see he wasn't staring at her as though she'd grown an extra head, or looking about as though searching for an escape; he was staring at her intently, listening to what she was saying and looking as though every word she said really meant something, even if to her it sounded like meaningless drabble. All of a sudden she felt silly for thinking that she couldn't tell Harry the truth, and guilty that she'd doubted him.

She took a deep breath. "Harry, the truth is…why would you want to marry me?"

Silence met her words as several emotions swept over Harry's face, starting with shock and ending with open-mouthed incredulity.

"Blaise…" he said weakly, seemingly at a loss for words. "Are you serious…?"

Blaise nodded softly.

"But why?" he asked, "What on earth makes you think I wouldn't want to marry you? I love you!"

Blaise hesitated, unsure if she should say anything and at a loss for what _to_ say. She opened her mouth to speak and then hesitated again, before taking a deep breath and ploughing on.

"Look," she began, "I'm Blaise Zabini, aren't I? I've got this reputation as some bitchy Slytherin princess who's only mission in life is to make everyone else's hell. I've had that for as long as I can remember and I don't see it being any different now. And you…" she said, her voice softening as she looked at Harry, "You're this hero, this wonderful man who risked his own life to save everyone else's. People adore you Harry, they always have, and I just…I just…"

"What?" Harry asked quietly, gently rubbing his thumbs over the backs of her hands in an attempt to soothe her.

Blaise sighed. "I just wonder sometimes why a fantastic man like you wants to be with some unfeeling nobody like me."

"Hey!" Harry said immediately, reaching out to wipe away the tear that had leaked out from under her eyelashes. "Don't say things like that." He drew her to him and kissed her tenderly. "I love you, alright? You're the most important person in my life, and I want to you to know that. Shall I tell you why I love you?"

Blaise nodded into his shoulder.

"Okay…" Harry said, taking a deep breath. "I love you because you are who you are, and you never seem to give a damn what everybody else thinks. You stand up for what you believe and you…you stand up for the people you believe in, even people like Draco who nobody wanted to listen to at first, remember? You take everything at face value and don't judge people; you just let them be who they want to be with no arguments. And yeah, I'll admit you can be a bit…mean sometimes," he said, smiling, "Which is probably an understatement, but still; I even love you then. I love everything about you Blaise! You're amazing, and sometimes I wonder myself why you, this…this amazingly beautiful…intelligent woman…I wonder why _you_ want to be with _me_."

"Really?" Blaise asked, her own face now disbelieving.

"Yes, really. And I want to marry you Blaise; it's as simple as that." He shrugged as though to say he couldn't put it more clearly than that. "You're supposed to marry the person you love, aren't you? So I guess I'll just have to marry you. I love you."

He pressed a light kiss to her lips. "Marry me?"

Blaise wiped away a tear as it made its journey down her cheek. She smiled at him, feeling her breath catch as he smiled back with that cheeky schoolboy grin that always made her laugh.

"Yes."

He pulled her to him and kissed her, and she knew she wouldn't have given him any other answer.

* * *

"Draco, where are we going?" Ginny asked as he pulled her across the grass. She'd removed her shoes almost immediately after they'd entered the park because her heels were sinking into the ground, so now she was running across the grass in bare feat, her dress bunched up in her hands so she wouldn't trip on the hem, with absolutely no idea where they were going. 

Abruptly, Draco stopped and let go of her arm before falling to the floor.

"Draco!" Ginny asked, her voice tinged with panic as she peered at him lying on the floor. "Draco are you alri— Ooo!"

She was completely unprepared as one of his hands snaked up around her ankle and pulled, sending her toppling down on top of him.

"I'm fine," he replied calmly, smiling mischievously up at the night sky. "Thanks for asking."

"Oh you are just too much," she muttered, whacking him soundly and pushing herself off his chest, falling in a heap next to him.

"Too much of what? Too much of a good looking guy? Too much of an intellect? Too much of a—"

"Shut up." Ginny growled. She flailed weakly with her hands for a moment in a minimal effort to rise, before giving up and letting them fall to her sides. "Once again Draco, why are we here?"

"Why not?"

"Oh please," Ginny pleaded, pinching the bridge of her nose with exasperation. "Please don't start that again. I only just got over our last conversation."

"As far as I recall our last conversation consisted of lots of kissing and not much else."

"Which conversation are _you_ taking about?"

"The one we had before you left on your Order business, remember?" he replied.

"Draco, our last conversation was about twenty minutes ago and involved a croissant and a locked toilet."

Draco shook his head fervently. "No, this is still a part of that conversation. This is a continuation of it."

"Oh great," Ginny sighed, "so we've still got the shadow of those blasted croissants hanging over us have we?"

Draco couldn't help but laugh at that. "Yes, we still have the shadow of the croissant over us. Look, I'll make you a deal," he said, turning on his side to look at her. "We'll separate the two conversations if you agree to answer a question I have for you. Okay?"

Ginny narrowed her eyes at him in mock seriousness. "And then the shadow of the croissant will be gone?"

"Yep."

"Hmm…" Ginny pretended to consider the idea. "Well…okay."

"Good. Now," Draco said, moving so that he once again lay on his back, looking up at the stars that had appeared. "My question is this – why are you so pissed at me?"

The mildly friendly atmosphere that had developed between them vanished as Ginny's smile disappeared from her lips. The question had shocked her; she hadn't been prepared to be asked so bluntly.

"I'm just interested Gin," she heard Draco say from her right. She turned to look at him and found him looking back at her, his eyes reflecting the light from the newly risen moon and making them glow silver. She tore her gaze away and directed it back at the sky.

"I…I don't know Draco, alright?" she said, shrugging. "I just…I don't know."

"Are you pissed I didn't come and meet you at the station?"

Ginny snapped her head round to look at him and cricked her neck.

"You're shrewd aren't you?" she told him, wincing and rubbing the back of her neck. "That Slytherin mind of yours is working in overdrive I see."

"If you want to put it that way." Ginny was annoyed to see him smiling.

"Maybe I am Draco, maybe I'm not. To be honest," she said, "_I_ don't even know, so I don't see how you expect me to tell _you_ if I'm at a loss myself."

"It was always worth a try."

Ginny didn't say anything, just sighed and absently smoothed her dress out around her.

"I do have something else I wanted to say to you though."

"What?"

"Just that I might be sorry." He looked back at her with his unsettling eyes. "Just maybe, I might be."

It was nice to feel his mouth on hers again, Ginny reflected as he kissed her, one hand tangling in her hair whilst the other laid itself possessively on the side of her face. The kiss was unruly, frenzied, unlike the more refined and expert kisses she was so used to from him, but somewhere in the back of her mind she thought how much she liked this one better. She made a noise of protest as he pulled away from her gently, opening her eyes to find his gaze on her face, his eyes flickering over her as though drinking in every little detail of her face. She reached up to trace her fingers across his sharp cheekbones.

"Draco…"

"Shh…" he said, pressing a soft kiss to her lips to quieten her. "Shh…"

They lay down beside each other on the soft grass, her head resting gently against his shoulder as they both stared up into the sky, and Ginny smiled faintly as she felt Draco take her small hand in his.

* * *

"So where does this box go?" 

"Over there," Blaise said, pointing Harry towards the living room. "Just put it down by the sofa."

She followed him into the living room as she said this, surveying the room and the multitude of cardboard boxes that were scattered about bearing such labels as _Kitchen Stuff_ and _Bathroom Things_ in Harry's messy handwriting.

"You labelling skills are exceptional" she purred, sitting down on him where he lounged on the sofa. She crossed her legs and gave him a haughty look before leaning in to kiss him. "Much better than mine."

"I don't think there's anything wrong with them" he replied, looking mildly affronted.

"Yes, because _kitchen stuff_ will let us know exactly where all your cutlery is."

"Yes, in the kitchen." He smiled and kissed her again.

"Ooo what's this, a lover's tiff?" they heard Draco say as he nudged his way through the front door with his shoulder, yet another box in his arms. He was followed by Ginny carrying a stuffed messenger bag over one shoulder.

"I think this is the last of it," she said as she slipped the bag off and dropped it on the floor next to the box Draco had been carrying. She leant on the support of the armchair Draco was slumped in and giggled when he pulled her down on top of him. "There wasn't anything left in the car as far as we could see."

"Why do you have that thing Harry?" Draco muttered grumpily, twisting one of Ginny's curls around his finger. "It's horrible. Not only is it the colour of mushy peas but it makes enough noise to wake an army of sleeping beauties." He shivered at the thought.

"I happen to like Matilda," Harry defended, frowning. "She's been very good to me over the years."

Blaise raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Harry asked as he caught her look.

"If you don't know I'm not dignifying you with an answer" Blaise retorted. She heaved an exaggerated sigh and shook her head. "The things I put up with for love."

"It's so sweet you feel that way about Harry's obsession with Barbies" Draco cut in, yelping when a book connected with his shin. "Ouch!"

"You deserved that" Ginny said primly.

"Oh, thank you for sticking up for me" he replied sarcastically.

"Anyway," Blaise interrupted in an effort to avert full scale warfare breaking out in the living room, "Thanks for helping Harry move in. It was nice of you to give up your day off." This she directed at Draco, who nodded his head sagely as if admitting to some huge sacrifice he'd made for the sake of mankind. "By the way Gin," she added, "You left your book on Classical Numerology here."

"Really?" Ginny said, "Thanks. I doubt I'd have realised for a while actually. I've been so busy lately with moving everything around I don't think I noticed."

"How was your move anyway?" Harry asked.

"Not bad," Ginny said, "Although this idiot over here –" she indicated Draco – "almost had a fit when I moved his collection of Antipodean Dragon's eggs off the mantelpiece."

"Yeah well," Draco said sulkily, "You could have at least asked. Those things are worth hundreds of galleons each y'know."

"Oh, stop being so stupid," Ginny retorted, slapping him lightly over the head. "I'm not the one who nearly dropped an entire collection of Japanese china, am I?"

"Well you were the one who put that umbrella stand in the way in the first place—"

"Hey!"

Everyone quietened as Blaise yelled at them and held up her arms, palms outwards, to put a stop to the noise.

"This is supposed to be a celebration," she said. Harry shivered as she swept an authoritive eye over them all. "And I don't accept _lover's tiffs_, as Draco put it, at my celebrations."

"Sorry Blaise," Ginny said, instantly apologetic.

Blaise grinned. "Oh whatever, don't worry about it. I say we break out the champagne, don't you?"

"Here here," Harry murmured as Blaise strode into the kitchen and came back out, this time with a bottle and four glasses clutched in her hands.

"Here we go," she said, placing the glasses on the coffee table and handing the bottle to Harry. "There, now you can prove your worth as the man about the house."

Harry made a face at her as he placed a thumb on either side of the cork, pushing up on it. With a sizeable amount of effort it shot from the bottle with a loud _pop_ and ricocheted off the window onto the floor, bouncing along the floorboards before coming to rest underneath the coffee table. The foam from the champagne fizzled delightedly as it exploded outwards and gushed over Harry's hands onto the floor.

"_Scourgify_" Blaise muttered, cleaning away the mess with a neat wave of her wand. "Right, here we go," she said, pouring each of them a glass. Harry was about to take a sip when Ginny squeaked "No!" at him.

"No, no, no, Harry you can't drink it yet!" she told him agitatedly. "We have to wait until we've all said a toast. It's bad luck otherwise."

"Don't be ridiculous Gin," Draco replied. "That's just Weasley superstition."

"It is _not_!" she cried, looking highly offended. "Anyone who has an ounce of sense—"

"Would not be superstitious in the first place. Look Gin; watch me bring the drink to my lips, watch me take a—"

"Draco, please" Blaise said, "As much as you are my friend, right now I'm tempted to throw you out of the window. Personally I think Ginny's idea is great, _although,_" she added, specifically punctuating the last word, "Not for superstitious reasons." She raised her glass and the other three (although Draco slightly reluctantly) raised their own as well. "To us, for being friends even though really we're not supposed to be." She looked at Harry with a smile as she said this, unconsciously rubbing her finger over the engagement ring that sat on her left hand.

"I agree entirely," Ginny said as the clinked their glasses together. "I second that, and I also add to it. To us," she said, looking round at them all, "for _finally_ getting our arses into gear and being ballsy enough to take the next stop forward. So, to us, for taking the next step."

"Ginny, that's so cliché I think I might _die_."

"Shut up Draco."

"Well, you know what they say; one step forward, two steps back—"

She grabbed his face with her free hand and landed a passionate kiss on his mouth.

"There," she said, laughing at the look of surprise on his face, "That shut you up. Now." She looked round at them all. "To the next step."

The four of them raised their glasses.

"To the next step" Ginny said. She held up her glass to the others' and they clinked the them together.

"Cheers!"

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**A/N:** So whaddya all think? If you wanna let me know (and I would mucho appreciate it!) then click on that lil' ol' review button down there!

Any and all flames will be fed to my beta Okeanos, as they are her favourite snack.

Love n hugs

xSMx


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